Is My Nature a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, published anonymously, James Munroe & Co., Boston, 1836 (BAL 5181); small format, approximately 95 pages, in cloth or boards, published 9 September 1836
• The recognized first-state point is the pagination error: page 94 is misnumbered as page 92 in the earliest state, corrected to 94 in a later state
• The 1836 title page bears no author attribution (some surviving copies have 'By Ralph Waldo Emerson' added later in pencil by another hand)
• BAL notes that some copies have a half title with no priority established
• The motto is the prose quotation attributed to Plotinus

How to confirm the first-printing statement

Publishers stated first printings differently by era. The decisive tells are a printed “First Edition/First Printing” statement, a number line whose lowest number is 1 (Random House ends at 2), or a dated first printing with no later printings listed. Paste your copyright page into the number-line decoder.

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

US true first, 1836, published anonymously. Emerson's foundational essay, first printing about 1,500 copies. The second edition (1849) drops the Plotinus prose motto and substitutes Emerson's own six-line verse beginning 'A subtle chain of countless rings.'P-025138

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The 1849 and later printings change the epigraph (Plotinus prose replaced by Emerson's own verse) and add author attribution; the genuine first is the anonymous 1836 Munroe issue with the Plotinus motto, ideally in the earliest state with page 94 misnumbered as 92.P-025139

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Nature a first edition?

A first edition of Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson (James Munroe & Co.) is identified by: First edition, published anonymously, James Munroe & Co., Boston, 1836 (BAL 5181); small format, approximately 95 pages, in cloth or boards, published 9 September 1836.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. US true first, 1836, published anonymously.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

The 1849 and later printings change the epigraph (Plotinus prose replaced by Emerson's own verse) and add author attribution; the genuine first is the anonymous 1836 Munroe issue with the Plotinus motto, ideally in the earliest state with page 94 misnumbered as 92.

I have a first edition of Nature — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.